Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

In the desolate streets.

There stood the evil spirit with a white mask, and in front of it was Du Wei, preparing to act with bottles of bone powder in hand.

This visit to Massas City, Du Wei was fully prepared.

As long as it didn't hinder his movement, he had brought with him everything that could fit into his backpack.

Moreover, he also had information given by Alex, which was a map showing the distribution of the deadliest locations for ordinary people and workers throughout the city.

Now, he planned to take advantage of the Masked Evil Spirit's immobility and burn it directly with the bone powder.

Bone powder is the residue left behind after certain special "evil spirits" are eradicated.

But its use came with many limitations.

First, once ignited, it could counteract evil spirits, but it couldn't inflict harm on them, unless the evil spirit's medium was found and torched along with it.

However, sometimes it couldn't be used, such as previously in Hill Psychiatric Hospital, when faced with that head, James and the others chose to lock it in a box rather than burn it.

Because the nun was not like other evil spirits, it was excessively horrifying.

On rainy days, bone powder couldn't be ignited either, making a lighter more useful by comparison.

The flame of a lighter can keep on burning as long as there are evil spirits around, unless the evil spirit is too strong and snuffs it out, otherwise, there are no unexpected occurrences.

However...

The evil spirit with the mask, which became after Mike Stowe's death, had its medium possibly being the mask itself, the golden brooch, or even its corpse as the medium.

Once it was confirmed, bone powder became easier to use.

Du Wei looked at the evil spirit two meters away, unscrewed the bottle of bone powder, and started to sprinkle it onto its body.

The moment the bone powder made contact with the Masked Evil Spirit, wisps of white smoke began to rise, as if it were being corroded by sulfuric acid.

Yet, what was eerie was that it did not harm the Masked Evil Spirit in the slightest.

Its black suit was intact, the cane, the golden brooch, and even the mask were all unchanged from before.

However, Du Wei's action seemed to have provoked the anger of the Masked Evil Spirit.

Unconcealed malice surged fiercely.

From its feet, a vast expanse of shadows spread forward but could not disperse, and they were firmly restricted right in front of it.

Seeing this scene, Du Wei's calm eyes revealed a hint of surprise.

He questioned himself, "Does this seem like suppression?"

He hesitated with the lighter in hand, with just a light press away from igniting the bone powder.

But then, he discarded the thought.

He wasn't on the bus now, and he couldn't fathom how terrifying the evil spirit before him was.

All he knew was that if it were to break free from its rigid state, he would definitely fall into mortal danger.

After all, the golden brooch was also on its body.

But now, something seemed amiss.

He couldn't leave this "familiar" street, and the Masked Evil Spirit was also trapped here, suggesting that nearby, there might exist a terror formidable enough to rival the Masked Evil Spirit.

But it seemed as though the Masked Evil Spirit and the other terror were in conflict, creating a delicate balance.

If he ignited the bone powder, whether or not it could kill the Masked Evil Spirit was one thing; the balance would surely be disrupted.

And then...

The other ghastly thing would make its move on him.

Balance was a critical point...

But where was that ghastly thing?

Thinking this, Du Wei withdrew his lighter and began to look around.

During this process, after its fit of rage, the Masked Evil Spirit eerily returned to its serene state.

Even though it wore a mask, Du Wei could distinctly feel that its gaze had shifted away from him.

Du Wei continued to search for a way to escape and pondered the chances of killing the Masked Evil Spirit there.

But gradually, he inexplicably began to feel a sense of restlessness.

This restlessness came without cause, no triggering factors, and was uninfluenced by external factors.

While in the state of Spirit Vision.

Du Wei also didn't see any other Evil Spirits present.

On the entire desolate street, it seemed that there was nothing at all except for himself and the Masked Evil Spirit.

A feeling of inner helplessness gradually spread.

Du Wei turned his head and began to size up the Masked Evil Spirit.

This Evil Spirit, just like himself, was trapped in this ghostly place, unable to leave.

The difference was, it had been trapped here before him.

So, changing his line of thought, could a place that trapped an Evil Spirit truly contain another, even more terrifying Evil Spirit?

Had his line of thought been caught in a fallacy?

Perhaps, it wasn't because there was another Evil Spirit at all.

Thinking this…

Du Wei's gaze remained firmly fixed on the Masked Evil Spirit before him.

The Masked Evil Spirit had no reaction, it merely extended its hand, slowly reaching out to him as if trying very hard to stretch forward and touch him.

But it couldn't.

Du Wei narrowed his eyes, observing closely.

All of a sudden, he noticed that the Masked Evil Spirit's movements were much slower than before, its limbs rigid as if stuck in the mud.

And throughout this process, its shadow hadn't moved at all.

"I need to try…"

Du Wei silently muttered to himself, then looked down at his feet.

As he lowered his head, the shadow also lowered its head.

There was no change.

Then, Du Wei began to frequently make movements, waving and stepping.

His gaze, however, was constantly on his own shadow.

At first, the shadow and the body moved in sync, the rate of movement remained consistent.

But as time went on, Du Wei noticed a slight delay in his shadow, about 0.5 seconds, barely perceptible without close attention.

This…

Du Wei opened his mouth, a rare hint of bewilderment flashed across his pale face.

Indeed, there were no Evil Spirits here, but there was something even more bizarre and dangerous than an Evil Spirit.

The street itself was the anomaly.

There was no so-called rule or medium to speak of.

Once you entered, you would gradually become like the Masked Evil Spirit, completely unable to leave.

And as time passed, one's own shadow would also begin to lose sync with their body.

Combining this with the behavior of the Masked Evil Spirit, the answer was clear.

The moment when the shadow ceased to move was the moment when you couldn't move at all, completely bogged down.

Even now, Du Wei could feel that his body was already becoming stiff, waving and walking felt like there was an invisible resistance.

He had made a mistake about one thing…

This was not a ghost hitting a wall at all.

It was a trap filled with malice…

Be it human or Evil Spirit, this ghostly place never differentiated, everyone who came was doomed.

While an Evil Spirit might not need to eat, a person couldn't just stay put without eating or drinking.

After some time, Du Wei might end up dying before the Masked Evil Spirit.

"Fuck!"

Unable to help it, Du Wei cursed.

This was no longer about being prepared, one couldn't stay safe in Massas City; the city itself was far more terrifying than an Evil Spirit.

It was like an immense spider web, once you carelessly touch it, you could never leave again.

There was no hunter, but whether it was an Evil Spirit or a person, all were prey.